Question regarding Philippines pre-marriage seminar

[dj1206 0]

I've read on several web sites, and this question has probably been asked here before, too, but I've been told that the "Pre-marriage seminar" that must be attended by the bride and groom prior to marriage really only applies to Catholics in the Philippines. My fiancé was "born Catholic" but before Jacki was 16, she and her family left the Catholic church and started attending an Evangelical Protestant church and have done so ever since. I also, for the record, am not Catholic. My question is basically this: is there anyone out there with or who is a Filipina fiancé/wife AND who is Protestant, and were you not required to attend the pre-marriage seminar?

I read that both parties generally have to attend, but if our case gets to the Manila embassy by mid-summer, I still would not be able to travel to the Philippines again for this 10-day thing. And when I go there to bring Jacki home hopefully early next year, we won't have time to deal with a 10-day seminar in Manila...we'll both be in her hometown saying goodbye to friends and family.

[dj1206 0]

Sorry to reply to my own post, but I don't have an Edit option for the original...in the event there is an RFE for more information from you folks , such as are we getting married in the Philippines?....we are NOT doing a legal marriage ceremony in Philippines due to the Fiancé Visa process. We are still in discussions about doing a non-legal binding service in the Phils, but that may or may not get turned into an Engagement/Goodbye party.

[gracy_byron 0]

Hi there, Byron and I arent Catholics but we still attended the whole day seminar and yeah the waiting period for its release is 10 days, the seminar that we attended to started 8:00-11:00 am, afternoon session 1:00-4:00pm. Somebody pls correct me if Im wrong but to what they told me at the city hall we need to attend those am and pm seminar for our certificate for the completion of our marriage license. Once you got the license its valid for 4 months. We intend to get married here but we changed our plans and didnt use ours anyway cuz of this K1 process. Hope this helps.

[dj1206 0]

Hi there, Byron and I arent Catholics but we still attended the whole day seminar and yeah the waiting period for its release is 10 days, the seminar that we attended to started 8:00-11:00 am, afternoon session 1:00-4:00pm. Somebody pls correct me if Im wrong but to what they told me at the city hall we need to attend those am and pm seminar for our certificate for the completion of our marriage license. Once you got the license its valid for 4 months. We intend to get married here but we changed our plans and didnt use ours anyway cuz of this K1 process. Hope this helps.

Another information correction; VJ won't let me edit my original post. Jacki and her family started attending Christian/Protestant church when she was a little girl, not "right before age 16." Sorry for any confusion.

But to respond to the above reply, if this pre-marriage seminar is intended for Catholics, why are non-Catholics required to do it? And if you don't get legal marriage done in Phils, why is this even required at all? We'd be getting married in a Protestant church here in USA, and we'd have to go through a sort of discussion/counseling here through our church in USA anyway...why have to do TWO seminars/counselings?

[gracy_byron 0]

The two seminars that we attended really didnt focus anythin about religion, the first seminar is about family planning, being parents, role of family in the community, etc while the 2nd seminar focused on finding out "how well do you know your partner" and a speech from the lecturer from the Department of Social and Welfare services. I enjoyed the 2nd part of the seminar and like the experience, they didnt really focuz or ask who are the Catholics and non Catholics, its just a Philippine requirement I guess to attend, no attendance no certificate from the seminar no marriage license. Our first plan is to get married here but we found out that the K1 process is faster than K3 so we dropped the getting married here part and Im just keeping the original paper work that we did and marriage license as proof of genuine relationship for my upcoming interview at the embassy. I guess in your case an engagement party will be fine<just my idea> since you already plan on getting married over there, no point on gettin the marriage license cuz its time consuming specially if you dont have a lot of time on your hands.

[beameup 0]

I've read on several web sites, and this question has probably been asked here before, too, but I've been told that the "Pre-marriage seminar" that must be attended by the bride and groom prior to marriage really only applies to Catholics in the Philippines.

Wrong, it applies to everybody because the Philippines is essentially a Catholic country with tremendous powers of the church and no real "separation" of church and state. They will most likely tell you how to MAKE babies (just in case you didn't know how). I and my wife were given a "pass" because we are both over 40 - they just handed us the certificate. I was prepared to offer a "donation", but they refused. Donations (tips) come in handy sometimes in the Philippines - lagay.

[annbobcronch3000 0]

I've read on several web sites, and this question has probably been asked here before, too, but I've been told that the "Pre-marriage seminar" that must be attended by the bride and groom prior to marriage really only applies to Catholics in the Philippines. My fiancé was "born Catholic" but before Jacki was 16, she and her family left the Catholic church and started attending an Evangelical Protestant church and have done so ever since. I also, for the record, am not Catholic. My question is basically this: is there anyone out there with or who is a Filipina fiancé/wife AND who is Protestant, and were you not required to attend the pre-marriage seminar?

I read that both parties generally have to attend, but if our case gets to the Manila embassy by mid-summer, I still would not be able to travel to the Philippines again for this 10-day thing. And when I go there to bring Jacki home hopefully early next year, we won't have time to deal with a 10-day seminar in Manila...we'll both be in her hometown saying goodbye to friends and family.

Hi guys!I don't know if i can still help you or I might be late already to share our experience to you.But first of all I want to ask you if when is your plan to have a wedding ceremony in Philippines? Right now I'm here in Colorado already and i got my greencard already. But I just got married last year April 9.2006 and we had our wedding ceremony too. It's not legal because of our K1 Visa application, and we just do that for the sake of my family there cause they can't be able to attend my wedding here in USA and at the same time my husband's family coundn't be able to attend on our wedding ceremony in Philippines too, that's why we come up with that idea. But on our case we didn't attend a seminar anymore since its not a legal wedding. Since my husband is Catholic and me is Seventhday Adventist we just come up with an idea to have a Christian Garden/Beach Wedding,not a catholic or adventist wedding. I talked to a Pastor which is a family friend and explained to him the situation and the real reason why it's not a legal wedding and why we want to have a ceremony and he understood it. Usually legal weddiing in PHil required a seminar but since its not legal so we don't have to go through with that. And also my husband that time couldn't be able to fly there just for that because of his work. But our wedding turns out ok and with no problem.So I think that best thing I can suggest to you and your fiance, Is to talk and come up with a plan that you and your fiance agreed on. Since both of you had a different religion why not just come up with a christian wedding or any idea you both agreed on like what we did and explain to the Minister the reasons why you want to have a wedding ceremony & why it's not legal. It's good if your fiance could find a minister she & family knew & a good friend of her family sometimes it's easy. But if your fiance still want a catholic wedding and if it is ok with you that tell your fiance to find a priest that she knew and explain the situation.i'm sure they will understand it.So goodluck & hope it will give you some idea.

ann/bob

[alohaspirit 0]

Me and my wife didn't have to attend the Pre-marriage seminar because we did not get married in Catholic church. We got married in the Civil Registry before a judge. Had we gotten married in the church, then we would be required to attend the seminar.

We are planning to renew our wedding in the Catholic church in Manila and for that, we will have to attend the seminar.

[griffin 7]

PASTED FROM US EMBASSY, MANILA

Marriage of American Citizens in the Philippines:

The Marriage Application Process

Once an American citizen has obtained from the Embassy an Affidavit in Lieu of a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry, he/she can file an application for a marriage license at the office of the Philippine Civil Registrar in the town or city where one of the parties is a resident. The license is a requirement for either a civil or church wedding in the Philippines. The U.S. citizen applicant will need to present:

the affidavit in lieu of a certificate of legal capacity to marry;

divorce decree(s) or death certificate(s) required to verify civil status and capacity to marry;

U.S. passport;

documentation regarding paternal consent or advice, if applicable.

A judge, a minister or any other person authorized by the Government of the Philippines can perform the marriage. Marriage applicants aged 18 to 21 must have written parental consent. Applicants aged 22 to 24 must have received parental advice. Philippine law prohibits the marriage of individuals under the age of 18.

Philippine law prescribes a ten-day waiting period from the filing of the application to the issuance of the marriage license. The license is valid for 120 days and may be used anywhere in the Philippines.

Marriage to a U.S. citizen confers neither citizenship nor an automatic eligibility for entry to the United States. If the U.S. citizen does not reside in the Philippines, the Petition for Immigrant Visa (I-130) must be filed through the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services office in the United States or at DHS window 19 (8-11:00AM, 1-3:00PM) at the US Embassy .

Any questions about filing an immigrant visa petition to bring the spouse to the United States should be directed to the nearest office of Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, the State Department's Visa Office (202) 663-1225 or, while in the Philippines, to the American Embassy in Manila. BACK TO TOP

Church Wedding Requirements

Note: A Catholic religious ceremony may be performed even without a civil ceremony and the marriage will still be considered legal in the Philippines. Other non-Catholic churches may require documents and/or seminars not specified below. To be sure, inquire with the church in which you plan to be married. The process below describes the general procedures for arranging a Catholic wedding in the Philippines. However, the policies and procedures of individual churches may vary.

1. Baptismal and Confirmation Certificates - required for both the bride and the groom. These documents must be new, be annotated: "FOR MARRIAGE PURPOSES ONLY", and have been obtained not more than three (3) months before the date of marriage;

For mixed marriage (different religions) -- a dispensation must be secured from the Parish Office which will be released after the canonical interview with the parish priest or his assistant. These have to be presented one week before the wedding.

2. Marriage License

For those who are first married in a civil ceremony, a certified true photocopy of the Marriage Contract with the registry number of the city or town where the marriage was performed must be submitted one week before the wedding date. How to obtain a civil marriage license. See also Obtaining Philippine Documents

3. Canonical Interview - The parish priest or his assistant will conduct an interview with the bride and the groom one month before the wedding date. The interview will be scheduled upon the signing of the application form.

4. Pre-Marriage Seminar - The seminar will be scheduled during the canonical interview or you may inquire at the parish office. Some churches will allow you to attend other pre-wedding seminars such as the Discovery Weekend or Catholic Engaged Encounter.

5. Permission - The bride must receive permission to marry from her parish, if the venue is in another parish.

6. Wedding Banns - The couple must post the schedule of their wedding in their respective parishes. These will be provided during the canonical interview and have to be immediately brought to the respective parishes of the bride and the groom for posting. These have to be returned to the office after three Sundays. (The respective parishes may ask some requirements for the posting of the banns i.e. a picture each from the bride and the couple.)

7. List of names and addresses of principal sponsors (Ninongs and Ninangs) - The list has to be submitted to the parish office one week before the wedding date. Church policy requires at least a pair of sponsors and, ideally, a maximum of six sponsors.

8. For widow or widower - A copy of the death certificate of the former spouse must be presented to the parish office.

9. For renewal of vows - remember to bring a copy of the Catholic Marriage Contract. BACK TO TOP

Civil Wedding

A couple who chooses to be married in a civil ceremony will need to apply for a marriage license. Once the license is obtained, they need to go to a judge or a mayor to administer the solemnization of the marriage. There is a ten-day waiting period from the date of the civil wedding before the issuance of the marriage contract

Alternative to Marriage Abroad

Instead of the procedures presented above, it is possible to file a petition for an alien to enter the United States as the fiance(e) of an American citizen. This enables the parties to marry in the United States. American fiance(e)s should contact the US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services office nearest their residence for further information or if in Manila, at DHS window 44 in the Immigrant Visa Section (8-11:00AM) at the US Embassy. BACK TO TOP

Edited April 14, 2007 by griffin